The upcoming August release of our foundation datasets has provided the opportunity to implement changes to the Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) structure to assist users in tracking address changes.

G-NAF users who track new addressable objects entered into the dataset (such as a property) have found this process challenging, due to the systemised allocation of IDs (ADDRESS_DETAIL_PID) which are unique to each address label rather than each object. This can result in:

changes to the address label (such as merge criteria) which aren’t representative of changes to the object (i.e. a new label is attached to an existing property)

the removal of new addresses, if a label is not supplied by contributors (-1 confidence) within a 12 month period.

For example, an address can change from a property lot number to a rural address with allocated street numbers.

Users will now find the identification and tracking of address changes much easier, with the introduction of a new Address Feature table which identifies the specific components changed within an address. Containing both principal and alias addresses, the table features six fields:

ADDRESS_FEATURE_ID

ADDRESS_FEATURE_PID

ADDRESS_DETAIL_PID

DATE_ADDRESS_DETAIL_CREATED

DATE_ADDRESS_DETAIL_RETIRED

ADDRESS_CHANGE_TYPE_CODE

The new table has the added feature of retaining retired addresses, in order to provide the full history of instances in which addresses have been retired. There is potential, in future updates, for this table to incorporate address changes to an addressable object (such as a property).

These changes to the G-NAF data model also provide an opportunity to update our recent presentation, designed to take our customers through changes made to the data structure that incorporate stakeholder feedback and further product analysis.

G-NAF, one of PSMA’s premier dataset products, is available through our reseller network and under open data terms on data.gov.au. Containing more than 13.5 million G-NAF addresses, the dataset is the most trusted source of foundation geocoded addresses for Australian business and government.

PSMA Australia

PSMA Australia Limited is an unlisted public company owned by Australia’s federal, state and territory governments. Our goal is to facilitate broad and sustainable access to high-quality location data.